2024 Guide for Family Social Workers
Working with Youths, Teenagers, Children and Family
What You Need to Know for Working Well with Families Including Youths.
One of the social work career paths for someone that enjoys working with youths, teens, and children is to work with families in need of social services. A Youth Social Worker, also referred to as a Teen Social Worker, a Children Social Worker, and a Family Case Worker will help youths, children and families in need, refer parents to important educational, behavioral, or financial resources, and provide a number of youth and children support services.
In this resources for youth workers and family social work, you’ll learn what social work with families looks like, the typical duties, and the skills that are needed. We’ll also look at the different kinds of social workers that work with families and the types of youth social workers and family social worker jobs out there.
Youth Social Worker and Social Services Family Support Worker
There are many instances where a social worker home visit may be necessary, and this is typically done by a family social worker. Family social workers work at agencies like a state’s Department of Social Services. You can also find social workers helping families in need of services in schools and children’s hospitals.
Social worker working with families is one of the areas of social work practice that is attractive to many that are newly minted social workers or planning social work career paths. Helping vulnerable youths, adolescents, teens, children and their families out of critical situations and into better lives is a noble cause that draws many to a career of work with families in social work.
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Table of Contents: Social Work with Families
Keep on scrolling down this page to read each section or click any link below to go directly to that section.
- What Is Family & Youth Social Work?
- Why Would Someone Need a Family Services Social Worker?
- What Does a Youth & Family Social Worker Do?
- What Skills Are Needed for Social Work Family Therapy?
- Family Social Worker Job Opportunities
- Conclusion | Best Guide Family Social Workers
- FAQ | Family Welfare in Social Work
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For questions or feedback about how to become a youth worker, contact us, we’ll love to hear from you.
What Is Youth and Family Social Work? Why is it Important?
Family social work is focused on providing help and support to families. This support could be in the form of monitoring a home situation to see if it’s safe or providing support in an educational setting by addressing behavioral problems. A social worker working with families is often called a “child and family social worker” or “child, youth, and family social worker.”
Social work with youth involves a social worker that is focused on working with youths. When working with youths, effective care involves considering the family ecosystem. The family environment and broader ecosystem a youth is immersed in will greatly affect the success of your ability to provide effective and ongoing care to the youth. As such, working with youths and teens often involves conducting ecomap assessments of the person’s family and society ecosystem.
Social worker family support can also mean working to help new parents successfully care for their children, or assisting families that have children with disabilities in finding suitable support resources.
The definition of family in social work includes families of all types and the basic purpose is to protect, support, and assist children and families with solutions to problems and negative situations they may be facing to enhance their well-being.
Family Social Work Definition: “Provide social services and assistance to improve the social and psychological functioning of children and their families and to maximize the family well-being and the academic functioning of children.” – U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
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Do you have any questions about family social science jobs, working with families in social work, or social case work in family setting? If so, contact the Social Work Portal Team.
Why Would Someone Need a Youth and Family Services Social Worker?
There are several scenarios where family and social work will connect. Family support worker social services can be needed for reasons such as:
- To address abuse or neglect of a youth or child
- To assess the state of a home situation
- Adoption facilitation
- Education and school support
- To help resolve behavioral issues with children
- To facilitate substance use rehabilitation
- Diagnosis of psychological disorders
- Referrals to assistance programs for basic needs (food, shelter, etc.)
- Support dealing with illnesses or injuries
- Social work interventions for youth
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Do you have tenured experience working with families in social work and would like to share your experience with other social work professionals for effective child youth mental health care? If so, contact the Social Work Portal Team.
What Does Social work with Adolescents And a Family Social Worker Do?
The areas of social work practice that family social workers are involved in will dictate their daily duties. For example, family social work as a Foster Care Specialist may require a social worker home visit with all families regularly as one of the main functions of the position.
On the other hand, social work with families in an educational setting to help resolve learning difficulties may mean working at one or more schools throughout the week. Another type of social work with families can involve psychotherapy or family therapy in a private practice setting.
Typical Duties of Family Social Workers
These are some of the common duties that a family services social worker will be responsible for, including the following:
- Determine the type of help needed
- Assess children and/or families for potential mental health needs
- Work with clients and other professionals to develop a care or intervention plan
- Coordinate between family members, educators, medical personnel, and others to ensure the client’s needs are being met
- Monitor progress and adjust treatment plans as needed
- Refer clients to appropriate resources to get assistance
- Assist clients with completing paperwork for assistance programs
- Track casework and write reports on progress
- Ensure children have appropriate nutrition and home environments
- Assessing risk and managing safety threats
- Engaging children and families in treatment plans
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What Skills Are Needed for Social Work Family Therapy?
Families in need of services from social workers will have all types of interpersonal dynamics going on. An individual in family social work will need to have a variety of soft skills that allow them to navigate emotional situations and stay on course in providing the needed support and assistance.
Some of the skills that are helpful for family social workers to have are listed below:
- Negotiation
- Excellent communications
- Active listening
- Social perceptiveness
- Empathy
- Critical thinking
- Problem-solving
- Decision-making
- Time management
- Flexibility
- Boundary setting
- Advocacy
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Do you have any questions about the different kinds of social workers in family social work or where can a social worker work? Are you a family case worker and would like to share your experience with others? If so, contact the Social Work Portal Team.
How to Become a Family Support Worker
If becoming a family support social worker is something you’re interested in, the career path is pretty straightforward. To get started, you will need to have at least a bachelor’s degree.
Many positions in family social work will also want experience working with children and families. For higher-level family social work positions and those that include diagnosis or clinical work, you will typically need a master’s degree. A need for licensing in the state you are working in will also be something you see in ads for family social worker jobs.
Educational Requirements for Family Social Work Career Paths
Minimum requirements for family social workers:
- Bachelor’s degree in social work, or a human services field like child development
- Experience working with children and families (some family social work job postings require at least 2 years)
Advanced requirements for family social workers and family social science jobs:
- Master’s degree in social work, or an equivalent human services field
- Becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
Other requirements, including for family social science jobs:
- Becoming licensed in your state of practice
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Family Social Worker Job Opportunities
What does a family social worker job description involve? Family social work career paths can take a professional into many different types of settings. Social work with families encompasses non-profits, private practice, government programs, educational settings, hospitals, and more.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual wage range for a family social worker is between $35,820 – $78,710. Where an individual falls in that range will depend on the family social worker job description and responsibilities, as well as the education level and experience of the social worker.
Where can a social worker work in a family specialty?
Some of the areas of social work practice for family social workers are:
- Elementary and secondary schools
- Government programs (such as the Foster Care program or the Department of Social Services)
- Hospitals
- Substance abuse rehabilitation centers
- Shelters
- Community food banks and other relief service agencies
- Psychiatric facilities
- Programs or agencies for the disabled
- Residential care facilities
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Do you have any questions about areas of social work practice with families or how to become a family support worker? Are you a tenured in conducting social case work in family setting and would like to share your experience? If so, contact the Social Work Portal Team.
Conclusion | Best Guide for Family Social Workers as Well as for a Social Services Family Support Worker
The desire to support children and families is what drives many individuals to social work as a profession. Social work with families can be very rewarding when you see a child have a chance at a better life or help a family through a rough situation.
Family social workers need to have a specific skill set that will allow them to both understand and empathize with the families they’re serving and be able to set appropriate boundaries as well.
This is one of the social work career paths that is fairly easy to enter since only a bachelor’s degree is needed, and it also has room for advancement as a social worker’s education and experience grow.
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FAQ | Family Welfare in Social Work
What is the purpose of family social work?
The definition of family in social work includes families of all types, and the basic purpose is to protect, support, and assist children and families with solutions to problems and negative situations they may be facing to enhance their well-being.
What is the role of a social worker in family therapy?
Family social work is focused on providing help and support to families. This support could be in the form of monitoring a home situation to see if it’s safe or providing support in an educational setting by addressing behavioral problems.
Social worker family support can also mean working to help new parents successfully care for their children, or assisting families that have children with disabilities in finding suitable support resources.
Why would someone need a family support social worker?
There are several scenarios where family and social work will connect. Family support worker social services can be needed for reasons such as:
•To address abuse or neglect
•To assess the state of a home situation
•Adoption facilitation
•Education and school support
•To help resolve behavioral issues with children
•To facilitate substance use rehabilitation
•Diagnosis of psychological disorders
•Referrals to assistance programs for basic needs (food, shelter, etc.)
•Support dealing with illness or injuries
What skills do you need to be a family social worker?
Some of the skills that are helpful for family social workers to have are:
•Negotiation
•Excellent communications
•Active listening
•Social perceptiveness
•Empathy
•Critical thinking
•Problem-solving
•Decision-making
•Time management
•Flexibility
•Boundary setting
•Advocacy
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